Trails Maps and Conditions

Hiking Trails in Albany, NY

The Albany Pine Bush Preserve contains nearly 18 miles of official marked, multiple-use trails. Most trails are considered easy to moderate and vary from wide open sandy trails to narrow, grassy woodland passages. The topography is generally flat with gradual slopes up and down the natural sand dunes.

In the spring, summer and fall the Pine Bush can be very hot and dry. Please remember to bring your drinking water and sunscreen.

In the winter the Pine Bush trails can get icy. Snowshoes or cramp-ons are a good idea at these times.

Outdoor Recreation for Everyone

Below is a map of the Preserve with all of the numbered trailheads (you can click on the map to view it larger). Use the buttons on the right for coresponding downloadable maps of each trailhead.

The Albany Pine Bush Preserve’s official trail system is changing!

Over the course of the next few years, the trails system throughout the preserve will be changed in order to implement a more ecologically friendly trail system. The Albany Pine Bush preserve is already a highly fragmented ecosystem, with roads and development crisscrossing the preserve. Preserve trails contribute to the fragmentation effect (though not as severely as roads and other development) particularly affecting wildlife. Many species of birds and other animals will not make their homes near trail sides, and may become frightened when encountering hikers along a trail. The new trails system pushes trails closer to property boundaries, and removes redundant trails so that there are larger contiguous trail-free areas for wildlife. At the same time, the plans include the installation of several new trails, especially longer “through trails” that allow recreation along longer stretches from one end the preserve to the other. By engaging in a serious study of the trails system, we have arrived at a trail system that is longer, more varied, and more ecologically aware. We hope that you will enjoy the new trails system even more than the old one, and that you will bear with us during this transitory time.